What is the minimum a classroom teacher needs to know to use the ULAT?
By far, the best training a teacher can receive in using the ULAT program comes by reading the ebook “In Other Words”. In lieu of that background, distilled down to the bare minimum, here is what a classroom teacher needs to know in order to use the ULAT program successfully:
OVERARCHING PRINCIPLES TO RESPECT
1. Never use English. It is not necessary for the students to understand you at all times. There is always a creative way to get your ideas across without using English.
2. Consequently, never translate words for your students.
3. Convey the meaning of words visually by acting them out or showing the students an image.
4. Be expressive. Use mime, props, facial expressions, drawings, sounds…whatever it takes to get your ideas across. Be an actor or actress!
5. Never expose the students to written text until the program presents words to them in written form.
6. Review the verbs and their associated gestures on a regular basis and use the gestures to prompt students when they have forgotten a word instead of simply telling them what to say.
7. Particularly in the first year, essence takes precedence over form. Provide effusive praise of comprehensible speech and downplay grammatical errors. At first, affirm the validity of their message while repeating their statement back to them correctly, yet without calling undo attention to their errors. Gradually, as the students gain the confidence to speak, you can begin to refine their speech and place emphasis on the form of their statements.
TECHNOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. The ULAT functions best when viewed with Google Chrome. It functions least well when viewed with Internet Explorer.
2. To watch the ULAT videos, at least the teacher’s computer must be able to show videos on Youtube.
3. The classroom should be equipped with a computer with a sound card and speakers and which is connected to a videoprojector, thus allowing the lesson to be projected on a screen in the front of the classroom.
4. Ideally, the students would have access to a computer or tablet on which to practice the lessons, though this is not indispensable.